Examines effects of issue obtrusiveness on network news agenda-setting. Tests two competing models: (1) obtrusive contingency (agenda-setting effects decrease as personal experience with issues increase); and (2) cognitive-priming contingency (agenda-setting effects increase as obtrusiveness increases). Finds no support for obtrusive contingency…

Describes the use of dialogue journals to integrate reading and writing in a mixed-grade, mixed-ability (1-3) classroom. Describes student responses (retellings, clarifications, personal subjective responses, and interpretive comments). Advocates that students write continually as they read through a text. Demonstrates that dialogue journals can…

Describes the emotion of nostalgia and the strategies and functions of nostalgic rhetorical appeals in order to analyze Edward Kennedy's major policy address during the 1980 Democratic national convention. Suggests that Kennedy used nostalgic appeals to serve therapeutic and deliberative functions. (KEH)

For anchor test equating, 3 linear observed score methods are derived for populations differing in ability. Each version requires that the correlations of the tests with the selection variable be known. Five sets of assumptions are made for each model--yielding 15 methods--which are then related to existing methods. (SLD)

Problems and issues in measuring functional literacy are explored through an overview of definitional dilemmas, synopsis of widely known assessments, examination of the concept of ecological validity, and discussion of the impact of concepts of validity on the interpretation of functional literacy test performance. (SK)

Combinations of five methods of equating test scores and two methods of selecting samples of students for equating were compared for accuracy, using data from the administration of the Scholastic Aptitude Test to more than 115,000 students. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (SLD)

Argues that the United States government suppressed Frank Capra's 1944 documentary, "The Battle of China," because it lacked the visual framework of arguments evidenced by the other films in Capra's "Why We Fight" series. Investigates Capra's portrayal of fundamental American values through the visual contrast techniques of…

The article presents examples of emotionally disturbed children's reactions to separation from a teacher with whom they have become involved. Suggestions are offered for facilitating healthy separation from the teacher. (JDD)

Argues that most college students do not enjoy tragedy in literature because they cannot accept the constraints of a tragic world view. Examines the cultural, institutional, and literary trends responsible for students' bored, indifferent, and impatient attitudes toward the teachings of tragedy. (DMM)

Presents three assignment sequences--covering both canonical and noncanonical stories, mini-anthologies, and novels--that encourage secondary school students to think critically about the concept of literature. Notes that students can learn to analyze literature critically by comparing both canonical and noncanonical texts. (MM)

Research with 38 undergraduates studied a technique for assessing conformity on a ratio scale and variables used to analyze normative and information factors. Computer presentation of the statistics and storage of responses allows assessment of discrepancies between actual line length and length of the reproductions made with/without peer…

Explains Catholic University of America's "reflective teacher" model of teacher education, which stresses the technical, how-to aspects of a lesson in the context of overall goals; reflection on what each action and decision means to students; and consideration of ethical and political aspects of education. Reviews students' responses. (DMM)

A study of the acquisition of mands (requests) and tacts (labels) relating to food and eating utensils in three individuals with severe mental retardation revealed that responses acquired as tacts did not readily occur as mands, but spontaneous manding was developed through a stimulus control transfer procedure. (MSE)

This article describes a functional experiment designed to evaluate the ability of 128 preservice teachers to interpret pupil problem-behavior nested in two distinct learning settings (cooperative and traditional). (IAH)

A mail survey of 125 former teacher education students was conducted to examine subjects' perceptions of and responses to the survey. The effects of techniques thought to motivate mail survey participation on responses and potential respondent bias were examined. (TJH)